The Flex grant is funded by the Rhineland-Palatinate State Gender Equality Program and awarded on behalf of the RPTU’s Central Gender Equality Officer . These are earmarked funds for gender equality, intended, among other things, to support female researchers at various career stages or qualification phases. The Flex Grant is aimed at female researchers at all career stages and is intended to support mobility, networking, and publication activities.
Would you like to, for example, attend an exciting conference before the end of the year, establish a research contact, temporarily increase your research assistant’s workload to complete a publication, or obtain a license for final research work?
Funding covers grants of up to2,000 euros. In justified exceptional cases, this amount may be exceeded. The Flex Grant supports exchange projects (e.g., inviting visiting scholars, networking trips), visits, or the organization of events (e.g., workshops, conferences), as well as the use of material resources for a specific project (e.g., licenses, honoraria). Depending on the format, in-kind resources, travel expenses, or even hours of support staff can be billed. Since the program is tied to the duration of the State Gender Equality Program, the funds must be spent by the end of 2026 .
Costs that are part of basic equipment (e.g., technical infrastructure such as computers, etc.) and those for which the specific purpose related to a concrete project of the applicant is not clearly evident (e.g., general licenses for a working group or department)are not eligible for funding . Costs incurred in the context of in-service training (e.g., counseling training) are also not eligible for funding. Retroactive reimbursementof expenses incurred prior to the submission of the application is not possible.
Eligible applicants are:
- all female professors, assistant professors, and research assistants at RPTU.
- all female doctoral candidates enrolled at RPTU.
The Flex Grant is an open call. Applications will be considered in the order they are received, as long as funds are available (“first come, first served”). There is no legal entitlement to funding. The deadline for submissions is December 15, 2026 (as of November 10, 2026: Budget exhausted. No further applications accepted! All submitted applications will receive a response shortly). Please note that the projects must be carried out in 2026.
An application must include the following documents (if possible, a PDF file containing all attachments):
- Completed and signed application form (see below)
- Brief description of the project
- Budget plan
Following the award of funding, a statement of how the budget was used must be submitted by January 31, 2027, at the latest.
Information regarding funding and accounting:
- Only one application may be submitted per person.
- For travel, the Rhineland-Palatinate State Travel Expenses Act applies.
- Please note that when hiring an additional research assistant, lead times may range from 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the location.
Please sendapplicationsvia email to the Equal Opportunity Office at RPTU (email: annegret.scheibe[at]rptu.de). Annegret Scheibe will answer any questions you may have via email or by phone (06341 280-31243).